KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — As the buzz increases for Formula 1 (F1) returning to Sepang International Circuit (SIC) this October, hotel rates on online booking platforms are already spiking.
This follows the announcement that the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix chose Malaysia’s SIC as its alternative host venue due to geopolitical unrest and safety concerns in the Middle East.
A brief check by Malay Mail on travel booking platforms such as Booking.com and Trip.com showed that hotel rates around Sepang (including Cyberjaya and Putrajaya) have at least tripled during that race weekend from October 2 to October 4.
Booking.com listed a night stay at Tune Hotel KLIA-KLIA2’s Deluxe Double Room on those dates at RM1,564, adding another RM200 could get you a four-night stay at the same hotel on normal weekends.
However, a night stay at Sama-Sama Express KLIA Terminal 2, another transit hotel, on the race weekend dates is priced at RM431 for a Standard Double or Twin Room stay and the price is nearly the same on normal weekends too on the booking platform.
Meanwhile for five-star hotel Zenith Hotel Putrajaya, the only available room on the race weekend dates is their Executive Suite, listed at RM3,157 for a two night stay; only two rooms were left available at the time of writing.
Zenith’s Executive Suite is priced at RM1,507 per night on a normal weekend compared to the RM1,578 rate during the race weekend.
As for hotels on Trip.com, a night stay on the race weekend at Le Meridien Putrajaya is priced at RM2,650 for a Twin Bed Guest Room, whereas on normal weekends, it was listed at RM615 per night for the same room.
Moxy Hotel in Putrajaya is listed at RM1,200 per night for their Moxy Queen room during the race weekend whereas on normal weekends, it stands at RM350 per night for the same room.
The price hikes on booking platforms are also visible for hotels around Klang Valley; for example DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur is listed at RM720 per night for their Deluxe Twin Room during the race weekend where the same room is priced at RM608 on normal weekends.
For Sheraton Petaling Jaya, a night stay at their Deluxe King Room on a normal weekend would cost around RM356; however, for the race weekend, the same room is listed at RM702.
Aside from the highly anticipated F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, several other major sporting events are also happening around Malaysia on the October 2 to October 4 weekend.
This includes the Le Tour de Langkawi 2026, which is set to wrap up its multi-stage road race across Peninsular Malaysia on October 4, with its closing stages passing directly through the Klang Valley and Putrajaya.
Meanwhile the annual Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon 2026 will also take place on October 3 and October 4.
